#FreeBoston

Charles Burchell

#FreeBoston was an ongoing collection of live public performance interventions developed by Urbano’s summer performing arts track. These interventions used spontaneous data gathering, conversations, and the artists’ own bodies to spark conversations about identity, difference, and privilege.

Youth artists focused on engaging the public, recording their reactions and bringing up concerns and conversation on controversial topics. These topics ranged from race, sexual orientation and gender to employment, education, and the condition of public space. Instead of using a “stage” as in traditional and publicly acceptable performances, youth used the sidewalk, stores, and any public place not usually used as a space for artistic development. At times, they integrated themselves subtly into the crowd; other times they intentionally stood out.

Through each of the performances, the group hoped to invoke discussions about space, viewpoints and biases, overall safety, and art. They also hoped to study the reactions of the general public, and to impart the lesson that we should be cautious about assuming things about others based on their place in society.

Charles Burchell is a musician, composer, and educator from New Orleans, Louisiana.